Mercedes shows retro fuel-cell concept

Plenty of car makers claim to combine the past with the future when they unveil a new model, but none of them ever do it quite like this: the Mercedes F-CELL Roadster is truly unique in its execution.

Mercedes asked 150 of its trainees to come up with something that pays tribute to the first car ever built in 1886 - the Benz Patent Motor Car - and that looks to the future. The result is this minimalist roadster, controlled by a joystick and rolling on multi-spoke bicycle wheels, with carbon-fibre seats swathed in brown hand-stitched leather.

The front section of the fibreglass body is based on a Formula One nosecone, and the car is powered by a CO₂-free fuel-cell system that allows it to reach just 16mph, but with a range of 217-miles.

Don't expect to see one alongside an SLK in your local Merc dealership any time soon, but it's an interesting vision of future personal transport all the same. Mercedes Labour Relations Manager Günther Fleig said: "This project impressively demonstrates that the topic of sustainable mobility has become an integral part of our vocational training. I am delighted to see how much initiative and creativity the young people have put into this project."

Mark Nichol